Editor's Note The Centers for Diseas Control and Prevention issued an alert that infections from the fungus Candida auris are increasing, according to a March 23 report from Michigan Medicine. Highlights from the report include: Patients in nursing facilities who have ventilator-associated infections are at increased risk, and ventilators have…

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Editor's Note This prospective randomized trial by researchers at the University of California San Francisco  examines the health effects of coffee consumption on cardiac ectopy and arrhythmias, daily step counts, sleep minutes, and serum glucose levels. A total of 100 adults were fitted with a continuously recording electrocardiogram device, a…

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Editor's Note The Joint Commission, on March 22, announced that it is seeking comments on proposed new requirements to address environmental sustainability for the hospital and critical access hospital programs. The aim of the proposed new Leadership (LD) Standard LD.05.01.01 is to help facilities minimize their carbon footprints as they…

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Editor's Note This study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, finds a consistent, widespread, and significant decline in activity following the onset of COVID-19 in the US. The analysis included 5,443 participants who wore a digital device tracking physical activity (Fitbit) for at least 10 days each month. Daily…

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Editor's Note The American College of Surgeons (ACS) and Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS), on March 23, announced the launch of a National Quality Verification Program for Vascular Care (Vascular-VP). Vascular-VP helps participating hospitals improve outcomes and deliver the best treatment for patients having inpatient vascular surgical and interventional procedures.…

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Editor's Note Gen Z job seekers are increasingly shunning traditional hiring practices, and employers need to keep up, the March 20 Benefit News reports. Recent research finds that 73% of job-seekers aged 18 to 34 found their last job through social media, while at the same time, 75% of companies…

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Editor's Note Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show 1,706 COVID-19 deaths for the week ending March 15, the lowest number since March 25, 2020, according to the March 20 US News & World Report. COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations also continue to drop, with weekly infections at their lowest…

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Editor's Note This Canadian meta-analysis finds that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to automate hip fracture diagnoses; however, complicated models may not provide benefit over traditional patient-specific postoperative outcomes predictions. Of 39 studies included in the analysis, 18 used AI models to diagnose hip fractures on plain radiographs and…

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Editor's Note With the demand for travel nurses rising significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, some states are proposing measures to control what staffing agencies can charge healthcare facilities that use the temporary staff, the March 17 Kaiser Health News reports. Among 11 states proposing regulations: Missouri is calling for felony…

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Editor's Note The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 16 updated its list of COVID-19 medical device shortages to reflect changes in estimated shortage durations during the public health emergency. These include: Radiological devices General plastic surgery devices Cardiac diagnostic and monitoring products General ICU/hospital products Specimen collection, testing…

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